Behind Those Brown Eyes
by skittles342
Summary: Maria has always been an outcast to those around her. Everyone thinks she's a freak, so she's learned to be on her own. But when she ventures into an old mansion at the end of her block, she meets someone like her, an outcast. A 'freak'. Will something unexpected spark between these two? Edward X OC
1. Chapter 1: A Mysterious Stranger

A/N: I just watched this movie and I have to say that I am absolutely in love with it :) I didn't like how it ended, so I decided to write a fan fiction. I hope everyone enjoys! Don't forget to R&R. I wrote this at 6:00 in the morning so it may be a bit bad, just tell me any glaring errors and I'll fix them :)

The rating is T for now, but knowing me it will probably go up ;)

**Behind Those Brown Eyes: Chapter One**

Maria has always been an adventurous girl. Throughout her life the only thing she would do was go exploring in the forest near her home. She would even pretend that her backyard was like Jurassic Park or like a secret hideout of some sorts. Her father built her a tree house when she was seven, and that only expanded her already imaginative mind.

Because of her adventurous ways and imaginative mind though, she's sort of an outcast at school. They all think she's a freak or crazy person or something. She only has one close friend and his name is Jason. But unfortunately, he's turned into a giant douche bag like the rest of them. They talk on occasion but never hang out or anything. Sure, it's sad, but Maria would much rather be alone then have a fake friend like Jason was. He would talk about her behind her back, and tell everyone she was the spawn of Satan. She knows what everyone thinks of her, how weird she must appear to them since she ONLY wears black EVER. How she's only ever reading or listening to music, never interacting with anyone because they all dislike her. Heck, she gets dirty looks on a daily basis!

But, her attitude towards those who dislike her or mock her are nonchalant. She doesn't care if nobody likes her since she thinks the world is full of idiots and losers who are about nothing but themselves.

She's never been in a relationship ever, even though she doesn't consider herself pretty, she actually is.

She's 5'7" with long legs, she weighs about 105, if not less. She has almond shaped eyes with a deep chocolate brown color. She's a bit dark skinned, since her ethnicity is Mexican and Italian. She has high cheekbones, a heart shaped head, full lips, and extremely long eyelashes. Her hair is wavy, but mostly straight, and down to her narrow hips, bangs that are straight and stop just below her thin eyebrows. Though, despite her good looks, no she has not been in a relationship nor has any desire to be in one. She's been asked out numerous times, but shot them all down.

Now she is seventeen and has finally summoned up the courage to explore that dark and mysterious castle like home located in the coldasac near her home. She's heard the legends, the stories about what occurred here centuries ago. It fascinated her; she heard that there was once a man named Edward living in that place. The special thing about him was that he actually had scissors for hands! How amazing! From what she heard, a family took him into their home, but that all went to hell when Edward started attacking the children of the women who graciously brought him in. After that, he fled back to this very mansion but was killed by the roof caving in when a teenage boy came and attacked him. Who also died while trying to kill him.

They called him Edward Scissorhands, and Maria was standing in front of his home.

* * *

Maria was merely curious of what the inside looked like. She wanted to see how this 'Edward Scissorhands' lived like (if he even existed) and how his house looked like. She didn't know what she was expecting, torture devices or a dead body? She wasn't sure. But her curiosity always got the better of her and lead her here today.

She looked up at the gate she passed through with wide eyes. It was really old and rusted. The pathway to the castle was lined with tall bush and vines.

"Oh wow…" she murmured as she came upon a large water fountain, lined with neatly shaped and cut hedges. Some shaped like hearts or dinosaurs or ballerinas.

_'Well that's interesting…'_ she thought to herself as she walked over to one of them and ran a hand along the leaves of the hedge, feeling the smooth foliage beneath her fingers, '_I wonder who's been bothering to design and trim these all this time…'_

She shrugged to herself as her brown eyes landed on what looked like the front door. She bit her lip and circled around the large water fountain and to the front porch steps.

She made her way up the steps, her combat boots crunching the dead leaves beneath her. She reached for the handle to the front door and gave it a tug, expecting it to be locked.

To her amazement and surprise, it gave in and slowly opened. She yanked it wider open and peeked inside. It was too dark inside to really see anything. She took a gulp of fresh air, she got this far, she has to go all the way! Waving some cobwebs out her way, she walked into the dark house and closed the door behind her.

The main room was just dirt, dust, cobwebs, and an old rusted shelf that held rusted tools and looked like it was gonna collapse at any given moment. Maria sighed and waved a hand in front of her face, the dust in here was almost unbearable. Making it hard to breathe.

She went up the old staircase. It creaked softly beneath her weight; the railing was completely covered in dust and thick cobwebs. She brushed her bangs out her eyes and sighed as she reached the top. So far, she wasn't all that impressed with what she'd seen. It just seemed like a dusty old house thus far.

She came upon a hallway that leads to another room. He followed it and found herself in a large room, at the very top of the house. The ceiling was cracked and bright sunlight filtered into the room. The room would've been dark if the ceiling wasn't caved in.

Something in the corner shifted, diverting her attention from the ceiling. She looked over and blinked her large eyes, "Hello?" she called cautiously when the figure moved again. Was she not the only one that got curious about this old house?

The figure got up from where he sat and slowly made its way towards her. As it inched closer, Maria noticed that there was something odd about this stranger. It was his hands…. They were shaped weirdly. He was still too far away to really tell, but his hands were off….

When he stepped into the light, she gasped and stared in shock.

Maybe if Maria had the common sense to run, she would've. But she was far too curious and fascinated by what stood before her. So she sort of just stood there and stared with wide eyes as a very handsome man, dressed in all black, stepped towards her. His handsome face was covered in small scars, but it wasn't that that got her attention. It was the fact that this stranger had actual scissors for hands.

He stopped and they gazed at each other for a moment, her chocolate brown eyes meeting his mysterious black ones.

Neither spoke for about two minutes. Maria was still trying to process that he had huge scissors for hands. While the stranger looked like he expected that Maria would speak first.

Finally, she spoke up, "Hello."

He didn't respond, merely staring at her silently.

She took a few hesitant steps towards him, she didn't think he would try to hurt her, but her pretty eyes never left his face, "D- do you live here?"

He nodded a bit.

"I'm terribly sorry then, I had no idea that there was someone living here," Maria apologized as she neared him, now only standing a few feet away from him.

He gave her a small smile, "That's okay," he had a soft voice, sweet in a way.

Maria bit her lower lip to hide her smile, "Are you the only one living here?"

He nods.

"No mom?"

He shook his head.

"Dad?"

"He never woke up."

Maria's heart ached for the poor man, he obviously didn't understand what death was.

"You've lived here by yourself for how long?" she asked quietly.

He was silent for a long moment, and then he replied, "I've lost count."

Maria was silent for another moment before asking, "What about friends?"

He looked sad suddenly, "Don't have any."

Maria felt sad for him again, so he really was all alone.

"You want one?" she offered, her eyes meeting his again, her hands shoved into her pockets.

His eyes lit up a bit, "Yes."

She smiled at him and stepped closer, "Then let's start off properly, shall we?" she smiled wider at him and continued, "My name is Maria, and yours?"

He returned the smile, it was the first time he'd smile at her. And even though it was a small smile, it had to be the sweetest thing Maria had ever seen,"Edward."


	2. Chapter 2: Promise

**Behind Those Brown Eyes: Chapter Two**

They ended up sitting against the wall and talking. Maria did most of the talking, since he seemed shy still. It didn't take long for her to figure out that this was the same Edward from the old stories, but she figured that they were just made up though since Edward obviously isn't dead nor does he seem like the type to be able to kill someone. So she didn't even bother bringing it up.

"Let me see…" she reached up and slowly cupped his face lightly, her thumb brushing lightly against a cut, "Do these hurt, Edward?"

He gazed into her eyes for a moment before shaking his head lightly, "No, not anymore."

"Good, you just have to be more careful," she dropped her hand and leaned back against the wall, pulling her knees to her chest. She rested the side of her cheek on her knees and stared at him for a long moment before asking, "How did you even… Get these?" she asked, her free hand brushing his blades lightly.

Edward looked down at them and they twitched a bit as he murmured, "My father put them on me."

'_Some father…'_ Maria thought to herself but dared not to say it aloud, "Were you close to your father?"

Edward nodded and murmured, "He was my only friend…" he told her and suddenly leaned his head on her shoulder, making her blush darkly but she didn't push him away, "He used to read to me a lot…"

Maria was silent for a moment before asking, "You like books, Edward?"

He nodded against her shoulder, "I do, but it's impossible for me to read them without destroying them…"

Maria leaned her head against his before saying, "I have a bunch of books at home that are just lying around. If you want, I could always bring them and read them to you."

Edward suddenly brightened up and looked up at her, "You mean that?" he asked in a hopeful voice.

Maria smiled and ruffled his already messy black hair, "I wouldn't of said it if I didn't mean it silly," she giggled and continued, "I would love to read to you, have you ever read 'Romeo and Juliet'?"

He shook his head no.

"It's about two star crossed lovers, but their parents are against them being together. I think that they were both complete idiots but maybe you'd like that book…" she hummed and smiled softly at him, "It's a sad story, but really good. I'll bring it tomorrow."

Edward smiled again, "Thank you, Maria."

Maria blushed again, "Oh it's no big deal," she replied and looked away from his smoldering gaze, "I never read that book anymore anyways –"

"Not that," Edward interrupted her, making her turn her head back to face him, "Thank you for being my friend, I- I haven't had any friends in a very long time…"

Maria gazed at him for a moment before smiling at him, "That's something we have in common Edward," she hummed and leaned back against the wall again, closing her eyes momentarily, "I don't have any friends whatsoever."

Edward looked genuinely shocked to hear this, "Wh- what? But you're so kind… And pretty…"

"Kindness has nothing to do with friendship these days…" Maria sighed, not believing for a moment that she was remotely pretty, "To everyone out there, I'm a freak, an outcast, not worth anything… The list goes on…" she looked at him out of the corner of her eye, "You and me, we're both outcasts."

Edward was silent for a moment, oh how he wanted to caress her cheek. Or even be able to touch her in any way without harming her. But he knew that this was impossible as he said, "The people out there are missing out then, because you are a great person, Maria."

Maria was silent for a moment, and then leaned her head on Edward's shoulder, murmuring softly, "Glad someone thinks so…"

They stayed like that for a while until Maria noticed that outside was getting pretty dark, "Oh crap…" she murmured and sat up, checking her phone, it was six-thirty. Her parents have a strict rule of being home before dark, and now the sun was setting and Maria would be in huge trouble if she didn't get home fast.

"I'm so sorry, but I have to go," she and Edward stood, she dusted off her black jeans and looked up at him through her bangs, "My parents are expecting me to be home before it gets really dark."

Edward nodded, "Okay," he murmured.

Maria smiled at him, "I promise I'll come back tomorrow, after school, okay?"

"School?"

"I'll explain it to you tomorrow," she chuckled and turned, heading for the door, "See ya!"

"Promise?" he murmured it so softly that she almost didn't hear him

"Promise what?" she asked as she paused and looked over her shoulder at him.

"Promise you'll be here tomorrow?" his eyes were pleading and wide, making Maria's heart melt right then and there.

Maria was frozen for a moment before smiling softly at him, "I promise I will be here tomorrow."

That seemed to console him as she waved one last time and ran off out the room, down the dusty stairs, and out the front door.

**Edward's P.O.V**

I watched her run off through the garden through the broken window of my room. I watched her beautiful hair swish around her body and her long legs carry her swiftly off the mansion property. I could see her running directly down the street, never stopping to take a breath.

He was already entranced by her, she reminded him of Kim in so many ways. Like her voice, it had the same sort of deep tone to it. Her beauty was her own uniqueness, and her friendliness was definitely surprising. But it was nice to have a friend to talk to, to relate to. She told him that she was an outcast as well, and even though that was a bit surprising, Edward was glad in a way.

He was glad that she recklessly broke into his home and found him. He's only known her for a few hours and she already made him feel so… Alive.

**General P.O.V**

Maria was able to get home before the streetlights turned on, which was good enough for her. But it wasn't good enough for her parents of course, they glared at her when she walked in, as if she just killed five people.

"What?" she snapped irritably, she hated it when they looked at her like that.

"You know the rules you little brat," her father, Markus, growled, throwing down his newspaper and taking off his reading glasses, "You're supposed to be home before it got dark, remember?" he sounded like he was trying oh-so-hard to contain his anger. While her mother, Sarah, simply looked agitated and completely done with her daughter.

"I am home before it got dark!" Maria defended herself, "The streetlights weren't even on!"

"Don't raise your voice at your father like that!" Sarah cut in before Markus could reply, "We're the adults here, so we're the only ones allowed to yell!"

Maria fought the urge to roll her eyes, "Yeah, okay, whatever, I'm sorry I'm late. I got held up."

"Don't tell me you were just 'exploring' again?" her father sneered in disgust and picked up his paper, flipping it open, "Damn, it was cute when you were little but now it's just ridiculous. Because of you, our neighbors always gives us funny looks and asks us if you're okay!"

Maria's brow twitched, "Well, I'm SO SORRY that my existence is such a hindrance to you, I'll try harder to be completely invisible."

"That's not what I meant," Markus snapped and looked up at her, "I just wish you'd get your goddamn head out the sky and act like a regular teenage girl!"

"Like what? Go out, get drunk, do drugs, have sex, get pregnant?"

"At least you would be normal!"

"Markus…" Sarah cut in, signaling that he went a bit too far.

Markus growled but went silent.

Maria huffed in anger and stomped into her room, she slammed the door loudly behind her and leaned against it. She slid down and pulled her knees to her chest, tears blurring her vision. They don't care about her, they only care about their self image and how she represents their family. And obviously they don't like how she is. They want her to be a cliché' teenage girl like the rest of them.

It wasn't like she was TRYING to be unique, she just didn't want to associate or even be remotely close to how those other girls act.

She hated them. She hated them all. So much hate was in her heart she wouldn't be surprised if it was black.

Maria's older brother, Tyler stepped out his room after he heard all the yelling. Maria had brushed by him without really noticing him. He sighed and walked into the living room. His mom was knitting, and his father was reading the newspaper quite calmly.

"You could've been a bit easier on her…" he murmured softly, causing his dad to glance up passively at him, "You know how she is…"

"Yes I do, she's so hard headed," he took off his reading glasses and rubbed his forehead, "At least you create a good image for this family, Tyler."

Tyler shrugged and sighed before returning to his room. He was the picture of perfection, he was the quarterback of the football team, had a beautiful girlfriend, and is the most popular guy in school. He had it all. Nobody knows that he and Maria are related though, since they never interact in public with each other, for good reasons. Maria didn't want to be known as the popular guys' sister, and Tyler didn't want to be known as the freak's older brother.

Still, he did love her. And he worried about her on a daily basis.

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who favorited and reviewed :) I hope you guys like this chapter! :)**


	3. Chapter 3: Romeo and Juliet

**Behind Those Brown Eyes: Chapter Three**

The next morning, Maria woke up blearily in bed. She sat up and stretched lightly, her body shuddering lightly as her joints popped back into place. She rubbed her eyes and pushed herself out of bed. She stumbled across her room and claimed the bathroom before her brother could that morning. He takes longer then her, and he's a guy!

She took a quick shower, her mind wandering to yesterday. The image of Edward instantly flashed into her mind and she smiled softly. She thought yesterday was a dream or something, but no, it really happened. She really did have a friend now. Even if that guy does have scissors for hands, it didn't matter to her.

As she got dressed that morning, she wondered exactly why his father decided to put scissors for hands on his body. Maybe he was some sort of scientist?

She shrugged to herself as she slipped on a regular black t- shirt along with black jeans and of course her combat boots. She brushed out her hair and pulled it into a high ponytail then straightened her bangs. She sighed and grabbed her backpack. She was just about to leave when she spotted her Romeo and Juliet book sitting on her reading chair. She went over and picked it up, soon stuffing it into her backpack and leaving her room.

She walked into the kitchen to find her parents thankfully gone. They probably went to work early or something today, not that Maria really minded or cared. She was just glad that she didn't have to put up with their bullshit for at least the morning. She tossed her backpack onto the table and moved about the kitchen, collecting stuff for cereal.

As she poured milk into a bowl for lucky charms, her brother came into the kitchen. They didn't greet each other or even look at each other. Tyler merely went to the refridgerator and got himself a monster, while Maria began to eat her lucky charms silently.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Tyler spoke up, "I told the cheerleaders to leave you alone."

"How very considerate of you," Maria replied in a non-caring voice, staring into her bowl of lucky charms.

"Hey, at least I'm doing something to help you out damn," Tyler grumbled and opened his monster, taking a long sip.

"Don't strain yourself bro," Maria replied in a blunt tone.

"Maria, listen-"

"No, YOU listen," she interrupted him and glared at him hatefully, "You pretended that I didn't exist when our high school lives started, and you stood there and watched me get bullied my whole life. I don't need you or want you caring about me anymore. So just mind your own fucking business and leave me alone like usual," she huffed and got up, grabbing her bowl of no soggy lucky charms and dumping them into the sink.

"I'm just worried about you-"

"Why suddenly so worried? You know what? Go fuck yourself and your preppy girlfriend, I don't care anymore," she snatched up her backpack and walked out the kitchen, "I don't need your worry or you anymore."

Tyler winced when the front door slammed after her. He sighed and leaned against the counter, crossing his arms over his muscular chest. Sure, he loved his sister to death, to him she's perfectly fine, but to the whole school she is a freak who wears black all the time. The only reason why he ignored her at first was because he didn't want to look bad to everyone else… But he realized that that wasn't even important anymore. What was important was that his sister was getting bullied, and he has done nothing to stop it.

_'I should start being more of a brother to her…'_ He thought to himself as he went back to his room and grabbed all his stuff, _'Even if everyone hates me for it.'_

* * *

Maria's day was horrible, as usual. A girl in her English class named Alexis was throwing balled up papers at her during English, a jerk named Mark called her an 'Emo slut' during history class, and during P.E. a couple of girls tripped her while she was running the mile.

'Just another day in hell…' she sighed to herself as she shoved some books into her locker, leaving only her homework and the Romeo and Juliet book in her backpack. She then closed her locker and ran off and out the school, eager to get the hell out of there.

All day all she could think about was going to see Edward after school. He was the only thing on her mind all day. His sweet smile lingered in her mind and even made her stupidly smile even while she was being harassed. After all, he was her only friend now. But she was so happy that she had an actual friend now. And a great one at that.

She stopped by her house for only a moment to drop her stuff off, only keeping the Romeo and Juliet book tucked beneath her arm as she took off towards the old mansion just down the street.

Maria walked through the gates of the mansion; it felt as if it didn't matter how many times she would walk through them, she'd still be completely enchanted by the beauty of the mansion.

She didn't even make it past the first set of gates when she saw that he was in the garden. He was trimming some hedge, his skillful scissors snipping away the excess leaves and branches. She smiled and sat on the side water fountain, crossing her legs and setting the book next to her.

It took Edward a few moments to finish up, but when he did he spun around and saw her, "Maria!" he greeted her and smiled softly at her.

"Hey Edward," she greeted him back as he came over and sat down next to her, not too close for his scissors to touch her but close enough.

"How was your day?" Maria asked, leaning back on her hands and looking over at him.

"It was good," his scissors twitched a bit in his hands, "I was just touching up some of the hedges out here…"

"Yeah, I saw that," Maria smiled as she glanced at the one she saw him working on, "You trimmed these all by yourself then?"

Edward nods, "They were getting overgrown, so one day I figured I'd trim them. But I got alittle creative…" he blushed sheepishly as Maria stood on the edge of the fountain and began to twirl around goofily.

"Don't fall," he chuckled as he watched her dance around.

"It's so peaceful out here…" Maria said to him, stopping for a moment to look down and smile at him.

Edward smiled, "It is," he agreed, his eyes never leaving the beautiful woman flouncing about on the edge of the water fountain, "You should see it at night, the stars are just so beautiful…"

'_Though they don't compare to you,' _he added in his head.

She smiled down at him, "Maybe one day I'll be able to stay longer and see them with you…" she mused as she spun again.

Edward felt heat rise to his cheeks, "Yeah… One day…"

Maria opened her mouth to say something when she suddenly lost her balance, "Whoa!" she tried to flap her arms to gain balance but she was already falling.

"Maria!" Edward got up and moved between her and the ground just in time. He made sure not to attempt to grab her, since he didn't want to end up cutting her or hurting her, so he basically used his body as a cushion to the ground.

They both landed on the leaf covered ground, Maria face down on his chest. Edward grunted but she was light enough that she didn't knock the wind out of him.

She blushed and raised herself up, somehow ending up face to face with him, her hair falling on either sides of his face. Her blush deepened but she found herself frozen in place.

"Are you okay?" he asked softly, staring into her brown eyes.

"Y- Yeah…" Maria replied with a small smile, "Th- thanks to you."

Edward smiled as the girl pushed herself off of him, now sitting on her knees between his legs. They were silent for a moment before Maria broke it, "So, I brought the book I promised to bring," she hummed and pushed herself up, she went over and grabbed said book as Edward sat up and crossed his legs.

She went over and sat down next to him, crossing her ankles in front of her as she said, "I'm sure you'll love this book Edward… But there are some parts that I'll have to explain to you since the language is old fashioned and hard to understand…"

Maria began to read the book to Edward, smiling as she did so. Edward listened to every word she said, completely fascinated by not only the book. She stopped to explain some things to him and answer his questions every once and a while but other than that things were going pretty smoothly. He understood a lot more then she anticipated, and seemed to be enjoying himself just as much as she was enjoying herself.

"'But soft! What light, through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun!'" she smiled and looked at Edward, "Do you like this so far, Edward?"

He smiled that cute smile that made her heart melt a bit, "Yes, I do," he replied.

"Good, because I -"

"But you said something before…" he cut in. She looked over at him, a bit confused as he continued, "You said that they were idiots."

She nods.

"Why were they idiots?"

"Well, you'll understand at the end of the book, but I'll explain it to you anyways," she closed the book momentarily and sat it down in her lap, "They were idiots because they were too rash. Their relationship was set to fail because they only knew each other for three days and got married, had sex, and tried to run away together. But they barely even knew each other. I bet Romeo didn't know one thing about Juliet, only that he loved her or whatever. REAL love takes time to build, you have to actually get to know a person before you can go around saying you love them. He was seventeen and she was only fourteen, and they acted so fast to things that of course they'd both end up… Ah well, I won't spoil the ending for you."

He blinked his black eyes at her before saying, "So you're saying that they moved way too fast in their relationship, which is why their love failed?"

She nods, "Yes, if they truly loved each other, then they would've spent time together trying to get to know each other better, or at least trying to fix the rivalry between their families to make their relationship better."

He nodded, "I think I understand what you're saying…"

Maria smiled, "Well that's good then," she hummed and ruffled his hair again, making him blush a bit and look at her as she continued, "You know, I have this poetry book at home, I've been writing in it for years. Want me to bring it tomorrow and we can read it together?"

Edward smiled, "You write poetry, Maria?"

Maria nods, "Yeah, I've been writing my whole life. I actually really enjoy it, it keeps me… Grounded."

Edward smiled at her, "I can't wait to read it then."

She bit her lip and smiled at him, "Thank you," she replied and pulled one knee to her chest, "I have so many books that I think we'll enjoy together, I hope that I didn't bore you today though…"

Edward smiled softly at her, "Of course not, I had a fun time with you today," he murmured and his head on her lap, being careful of his scissors so that he didn't cut her, "It's been a really long time that I've had someone to talk to…"

Maria smiled and stroked the top of his head, her eyes closed as she laid on her back, "Me too Edward, me too..."

* * *

Maria went back home before it got really dark. Her parents were just getting done serving dinner and didn't spare her a glance as she took a few slices of pizza before scurrying off into her room. She didn't want to eat at the table with her parents. Her brother was nowhere to be seen, probably out with his bubblegum popping bitch of a girlfriend.

She and Edward had spent the rest of the day talking and reading Romeo and Juliet. They didn't finish it, so Maria left the book with Edward and promised that she'd visit him again tomorrow. Tomorrow was Saturday, so she would have more time to spend with him. She had a plan to surprise him with fresh baked cookies, since he told her that he did enjoy eating sweets but he hasn't tasted anything sweet in a long time.

'_He's so cute…'_ she gushed to herself on the inside when he told her that, _'He has a sweet tooth!'_

She flopped onto her bed and took a bite out of pizza, she really did have a fun time hanging out with Edward today. He was really a fascinating person. She was lucky to have found him. She didn't deserve someone like him, but was thankful that he seemed to like her.

Later that night, she was flipping through one of her older poetry books. She decided not to show him her more recent poetry, since they were all depressing and sad. So she decided to just use some that were from not better, but a bit happier times.

She sighed and tossed one aside once she was done reading through it. She hoped that Edward liked her writing. She wondered why she was so concerned with what he thought, but shook the thought off as she stood up and out of her bed. She then got ready to sleep, she was too tired to look at any more poems.

* * *

**A/N: I'm having so much fun with this story, I really should be updating my other stories but those can wait for the time being :3 thank you to all my reviewers and especially to NotMyFault287 for going out there and getting me readers! I love you darling!**

**To everyone else, thank you for taking time to read my story and PLEASE (I beg of you XD) review! Your guys' reviews are really the things that keep me writing so please :) **

**Chapter four will be up before this weekend ends :) **


	4. Chapter 4: Roses and Cookies

**A/N: Okay, this chapter is really long but I am quite proud of how it came out :D And I also wanted to thank everyone who is still interested in this story and are reading right now. Don't forget to hit that sexy review button down there and give me your thoughts ;D**

**Key:**

**_Singing a song_**

Reciting a poem

_Thoughts_

**Behind Those Brown Eyes: Chapter Four**

Maria woke up around ten the next morning. She sat up and stretched, yawning softly as she rubbed the bleariness out her eyes. She smiled to herself when she realized that her parents were gone for the whole day, on some sort of business trip out of town or something.

Glad to have the kitchen to herself for the day, she climbed out of bed. Still in her jammies, she walked out the room and into the kitchen to start baking those cookies she wanted to surprise Edward with. Within a few minutes, she had the cookies on a pan and in the stove. She set the timer before going back into her room to get all her stuff gathered for entertaining Edward today. She put some books into a backpack and her ipod and headphones. She figured she could listen to music on the way, though her taste in music was strange according to others. She basically hated everything played on the radio.

She heard the cooking timer buzz and she hurried out to pull her cookies out of the oven. She set them on top and let them cool off while she went to take a shower.

Once her shower as over, she walked into her room and got dressed. She put on a black tank top under a long sleeved, red flannel button-up shirt, black shorts, ripped fishnet stockings, and her favorite black combat boots. She brushed out her hair and decided to leave it down for the day. She even straightened it.

She grabbed the small backpack she packed all her stuff in and walked into the kitchen. She put the cookies in a Ziploc container and stuffed them into her backpack.

She was ready to leave. She checked her watch, it was 11:15. Just as she was heading for the door, she suddenly crashed right into her sleepy brother.

"Whoa!" he grunted in surprise.

"Watch it!" she snapped with a glare.

Tyler was about to snap at her for her unfriendliness but the way she was dressed and how early she was up distracted him, "Where are you going all dressed up?" he asked suspiciously.

"It's none of your business," she grumbled and tried to brush by him. But he grabbed her upper arm, making her stop in her tracks.

"I'm your brother, your business is my business," he replied and pulled her back so that they were facing each other, "Now, tell me where you are going."

Her eyebrows drawn in anger and a stubborn look on her face, Maria said, "Piss off," before shaking his hand off and getting past him, leaving the house.

Tyler watched her go and sighed softly, running a hand through his dark hair. She couldn't have a date or something… Right? This is Maria we're talking about, the girl never held an interest in dating before…

"Whatever, she can't keep whatever she's hiding a secret forever…" he grumbled and went back into his room.

Maria sighed, she hates it that her brother is all up in her business now, even though he didn't give a shit before and now he suddenly cares? It just doesn't make any sense to her…

She shrugged to herself, humming along to the music that played in her ears; maybe it was just a phase, something he'll get over in a few days.

As she continued down the street towards Edward's place, she approached a house that had a moving van in the driveway. It was a regular townhouse like the all of the homes in this neighborhood, but Maria didn't recognize the cars. In fact, that house has been empty for years upon years.

As she passed by it, a guy about her age climbed out of a rusty old truck. He had light brown hair with blond highlights and blue eyes, and the kind of body that girls would swoon and drool over. He wore a white t-shirt and ripped jeans, and was carrying a duffel bag in one hand.

His blue eyes landed on Maria just as she brushed past him, indifferent but he definitely wasn't. He smirked and did a wolf whistle in appreciation, "Damn girl!' he teased her backside.

She glanced over her shoulder and rolled her eyes, "Get bent, pig."

The male snickered as she walked off, watching (and loving) the way her hair swished in time with her hips.

Another male came out the front door of the house, though this one had really dark brown hair. He watched his brother leering and rolled his eyes, "Don't even go there, Tanner," he chuckled and cuffed him on the head playfully, taking his duffel bag in his hand, "She's a freak, a weirdo; even I wouldn't try to tap that."

Tanner smirked, "I like my girls freaky," he replied simply, still staring after her, "I thought you knew that, Jonathon."

"No, I thought that you like your girls like you like your clothes," he poked him in the ribs, "Cheap."

"Not like you, you like your girls like you like your underwear," he punched him in the shoulder, "Dirty."

Jonathon rolled his eyes again, "Well, nobody's stopping you dude, just be careful. I heard she's a Satanist."

Tanner closed his car door, "With a girl looking that hot, I don't give a fuck if she's a witch."

Maria sighed softly to herself as she continued down the sidewalk, another idiot to add to the millions of idiots in this stupid town. But, he'll hear the rumors about her soon and leave her alone… Right?

She sighed softly as she finally made it to the dusty old mansion. She flipped her bangs out her face as she walked through the gates, quietly singing to herself as she passed through the first set of gates.

_"I could spend my life in this sweet surrender… I could stay lost in this moment… Forver,"_ she sang as she approached the water fountain, circling around it to go into the mansion, _"For every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure…"_

_"I don't want to close my eyes… I don't wanna fall asleep cuz I'll miss ya, baby, and I don't want to miss a thing…"_ she continued to sing with a smile to herself, taking the first few steps up the stairs, _"Cuz even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream will never do, cuz I miss ya baby and I don't want to miss a th–"_

She cut herself off when she opened the door and saw Edward standing there. She jumped in surprise and chuckled, "You scared me," she stepped aside to let him out.

He was gazing at her curiously for some reason. She blinked her large brown eyes and asked, "Wh- what?"

"What were you doing just now?" he asked her, tilting his head at her.

"Wh- what?"

"You were saying something… It was beautiful… It was something that I've never heard before."

"You mean…" she pulled out her earphones so that she could hear him better, "Singing?"

Edward stared at her for a moment longer before asking, "Is that what that's called? You have a very beautiful voice."

"Oh, well thank you," she smiled kindly at him, "You've never heard of singing or music before?"

Edward shook his head no.

"Well then, let's see…" she pulled out her iPod and shuffled through the songs, she landed on 'Listen to your heart' and pressed play. She grabbed her headphones and turned the volume down so it wouldn't scare him. She then stepped closer to him and put the earphones in his ears, letting him listen to the sweet music playing.

Edward stood and listened to it, he seemed completely fascinated and entranced by the music. He's never heard anything like this before, and it was definitely strange to him. But there was a unfamiliar beauty in it as well. He closed his eyes for a moment and just let the beautiful beat of the song flow through him.

Maria smiled, "Pretty incredible, right?"

Edward opened his eyes and smiled back at her, "Yes," he replied as she pulled the earphones out and turned off the music, stuffing the iPod into her backpack.

He suddenly smiled as he brushed a few strand of hair out her face with his scissor hands, "Now, it's my turn to amaze you," he murmured and walked past her, gesturing for her to follow him.

She did, she followed behind him as they circled around the house, towards the back. He seemed excited to show her whatever he wanted to show her, so she skipped right on behind him. She's never been to this part of the mansion before, so she was pretty excited.

They made it to the back, it was mostly just made of hedges and shrubs, cleanly cut and everything. She glanced around and smiled softly as she directed her attention at Edward, "Was this what you wanted me to see?"

He shook his head and said, "Nope, well, partly, but mostly I wanted to show you this…" he lead her deeper into the backyard, until they were in the way corner. There was a small section closed off with vines and hedges, Maria was going to ask him what was inside when he pushed aside some vines to let her in.

She stepped in, and was amazed at what sat before her.

"Wow Edward…" was all she could say. There, lining the sides of the hedges, were big rose bushes. There were only dark colors among them, purple, dark red, dark blue, he even had black roses, "These are so beautiful…"

"I didn't even realize that my garden grew these…" he admitted as he followed in behind her, gazing at the roses with a small smile, "I was trying to trim the hedges yesterday when I found these. I have no idea how they were growing all this time though, since I never watered them or anything. I assumed the sprinklers are the only thing keeping them alive…"

"I think they're magnificent…" she murmured and kneeled down in front of the dark blue roses, sniffing some of them and smiling at the scent.

Edward smiled and knelt down next to her; he found a really nicely grown one and snipped it off the bush. Balancing it between his scissors, he offered it to her, "Roses remind me of you, Maria…" he murmured as she took the rose and smiled thankfully at him.

"Really? How so?" she asked as she shifted so that she was sitting criss-crossed on the grass, her blue rose held in her left hand.

He shifted to face her, thinking about how he was going to explain it to her before snapping his fingers, "Perfectly imperfect."

"Oh really?" She smiled and put the rose down in her lap, leaning forward and resting her head on his shoulder, "I think roses sort of compare to both of us. You have scissors for hands, those are your 'thorns', but you are a kind and gentle man, and that's your beauty."

Edward felt heat rise to his cheeks as he bit his lower lip and looked away to hide his blush. Maria smiled and sat up straight, "Anyways," she hummed and pulled out her Ziploc container, "I made you cookies."

"Cookies?"

"Yeah, you told me that you haven't had cookies or anything in the longest time, so I decided to surprise you with some," she smiled at him as he slowly perked up. She opened the top and grabbed one, "Here, open your mouth."

He obeyed.

She fed him the cookie carefully, smiling at him as she did so.

Edward chewed on the cookie for a moment, "Mm…" he hummed in appreciation and smiled at her, licking his lips clean.

"You like?" she asked, smiling at him again.

"Yeah, did you make these?" he asked as she fed him another one.

"Yeah, I've always loved cooking…" she hummed as she ate one herself, adjusting the sleeves on her flannel shirt.

"Well, it tastes delicious, thank you," he gazed into her eyes.

She blushed and coughed as she looked at her back pack before reaching for it, fumbling to open it as she stuttered out, "Y- you want to finish Romeo and Juliet today? Or do you want me to read you some poetry?"

"Poetry," he said as he shifted where he sat, setting his scissors-for-hands aside as he got comfortable, "It's been such a long time since I last heard poetry…"

"Okay, let's see what I have here…" she flipped through a few pages, trying to find the poem she wrote when she was around fifteen. She was going through a tough time, she felt pressured to be 'normal' or whatever. And this was a poem from when she was feeling more alone than anyone else in the world.

"Oh, found it," she flipped over and laid her head in Edward's lap, hovering the poetry book above her face.

"This one is called, 'I hate myself'," she told him before clearing her throat and beginning to read…

" 'I need a friend.

Will that be you,

Till the very end?

Get me for who I am,

Not for who I appear.

I want you to understand,

That I am human too.

I think about you,

And I regret

How you never knew

Every time they told me

I was better off dead.

I must confess,

It went to my head.

And I believed every word they said.

Even I hated myself.'"

She finished the poem with a small sigh and looked up at him.

He was expressionless for a moment before softening up and murmuring softly, "You really were an outcast weren't you, and you had no one to ever talk to or relate to…"

Maria nodded and rested the poetry book on her stomach for a moment, sitting up and turning to face him, "It's something I'm used to now though…" she murmured and leaned her head on his chest, "On the bright side, high school will be over for me in a few months and I'm free of those douche bag idiots that inhabit the school."

Edward smiled at her and brushed some hair out her face again, "Where will you go?"

"You mean after high school?" Maria asks, now sitting on her knees.

He nods.

"Well, I dunno…" she murmured as she pulled her knees to her chest, "Even though I hate the people in the town, I want to stay here. I like it here, it's peaceful. But I don't really want to go to college. But then if I don't go to college I'd have to get a job… And I'd STILL be stuck at my parents' house since it takes money and time to get a place of my own…" she trailed off and shook her head, she'd have to put a lot more thought into her future then that.

He stared at her for a moment before saying in a soft voice, "You're always welcome here, Maria."

Maria looked up at him, "R- really?" she hadn't thought about it, but a bit of tidying up and some furniture would really make this dusty old place look like an actual home. She blushed at her own thoughts and mentally slapped herself for thinking such things.

"Th- that's very kind of you, Edward…" she murmured.

He smiled at her, the urge to just touch her was much greater now. But of course he can't. He still couldn't suppress the feeling of wanting to reach out and touch her, cup her cheek, stroke her long and beautiful hair, wrap his arms around her and pull her close.

But he could never do that, he could never touch her or feel her warmth.

He pushed his thoughts away before sighing softly. Then an idea popped into his mind, "Sing to me, Maria."

Maria looked at him, a blush on her cheeks, "Wh- what?"

"I want to hear you sing to me, please," he practically begged her with that same cute smile, "Your voice is so beautiful, I want to hear it again."

"Um… W- well… If you insist…" she cleared her throat and tried to think of a song.

**_*"Dancing bears… Painted wings… Things I almost remember…"_** she sang, her voice floating in the wind beautifully, **_"End of song, someone sings, once upon a December…._**"

**_"Someone holds me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm, figures dancing gracefully… Across my memory… Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember… Things my heart, used to know, once upon a December…"_**

She hummed the instrumental part, her eyes closed.

**_"Someone holds me safe and warm, horses prance through a silver storm, figures dancing gracefully, across my memory…"_** her voice got a bit more passionate, **_"Far away, long ago, glowing dim as an ember… Things my heart used to know, things it yearns to remember… End of song… Someone sings… Once… Upon a… Deceeeeeembeeer…"_** she sang, drawing out 'December'.

She looked at him and smiled, "How was that?"

He opened his eyes, he had them closed and was listening to her sing the whole time, "It was beautiful," he murmured softly as Maria reached forward and brushed her fingers along his cheek.

"Good, because I don't just sing for anyone," she hummed and leaned her head on his lap again, "So you're special."

He blushed softly, _'I'm special…'_

Maria sighed before she reached for her poetry book again, "Well, let's see if I can find something a bit cheerier…"

* * *

Around six, Maria had to leave. She gave Edward a tight hug before she left, promising that she'll visit again as soon as she can. She gathered her stuff and grabbed her blue rose before leaving the mansion. She walked home, happy. She usually gets happy after spending time with Edward, and today was twice as fun since they spent it reading poems, listening to music, and talking. Maria still didn't know much about Edward, but he knew plenty about her.

So far, the only thing she knew about Edward's past was that his father gave him scissors for hands and that he's been trapped in that mansion for centuries. She still didn't believe those ridiculous legends, so she didn't even count that as knowing something about him.

She unlocked her front door and slipped inside, it was dark. The only light in the house was the light coming from Tyler's room. Which was odd, since Tyler usually goes out with his friends and girlfriend on Saturday nights.

She shrugged it off and walked into the kitchen to make herself some ramen soup. She hadn't eaten all day and her flat stomach was rumbling, demanding for food.

While she waited for the water to boil, the sound of her brother's door opened.

Tyler stepped into the kitchen, "Maria?"

Maria glanced over her should at him passively. "Hey," she greeted him in a blank tone.

"Where have you been all day?" he asked, his eyes falling on the dark blue rose lying on the kitchen table.

"Nowhere," she replied, her voice agitated. She was so tired of that question coming out her brothers mouth.

"Oh, really? Then where'd you get this?" he picked up the blue flower and waved it in her face, as if showing her evidence.

"Be careful with that, idiot!" she snapped and snatched it out his hands, glaring at him angrily.

He held up his hands as if in surrender, "So defensive over a stupid flower?"

"It's not stupid! You don't know anything!" she yelled at him and turned to face the stove again, fuming, "Would you please just leave me alone?"

"Sure, I'll leave you alone," he leaned against the counter near the stove, his arms crossed over his chest, "As soon as you admit that you're seeing someone."

"HUH?" she gave him a look as if he was crazy, "Quit joking around! No man in this town has ever had any interest in me."

Tyler sighed and rubbed his forehead, "Damn, you're really dense," he looked at her, "Look, just tell me where you got that flower, if not on a date, then I'll leave you alone."

Maria sure as hell wasn't going to tell him about Edward. She didn't know why, but she felt compelled to keep him a secret. If she told Tyler, then the word would leak out to the whole school, and eventually to the whole town. Who knows how people would react if they heard of him? They would harass him or bother him, or probably even chase him out the town and Maria didn't want that to happen. She didn't want to cause her new friend any trouble, she was determined to keep him a secret and protect him to the best of her ability.

"It's really none of your business, Tyler," she grumbled and poured her noodles into the now boiling pot, "Please, just leave me alone."

Tyler huffed in frustration and anger, "Fine, don't tell me."

He pushed off the counter and headed back to his room, "But just remember Maria, all secrets eventually get found out, and I'll find out yours soon."

Maria shivered a bit at his chilling words; she knew that that was not a threat, but a promise.

* * *

**Will Maria and Edward realize their feelings for each other already? Will Tyler find out what Maria's secret is? And who is this new guy, and how will he bring trouble to our characters? Keep reading to find out! :D**

***This song called 'Once Upon A December' by Deanna Carter. I just completely adore that song :3**


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